


Wildfire Magic

by SandraMorningstar



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, JohnJae Week 2021 Day 6, M/M, Magic AU, Soulmates, background Nakamoto Yuta/Mark Lee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:07:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29382522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SandraMorningstar/pseuds/SandraMorningstar
Summary: Jaehyun's life was going exactly according to plan. He was studying at the prestigious Arcanum Academy in Seoul, getting high marks on every exam and it was only a matter of time until his parents would choose an equally gifted spellcaster from another prestigious family to become his Paired.But you know what they say about best laid plans...
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 6
Kudos: 48
Collections: JohnJae Fan Week 2021





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a oneshot but I kept adding scene after scene to it until I had to admit to myself that this was a multi-chapter fic. 
> 
> The story itself is based on one of my submissions for the 30 Day JohnJae Challenge. ([You can read it here](https://twitter.com/SunnyEarlgrey/status/1338908505965809667)) 
> 
> This was the second story I started writing for JohnJae Week because I had hit a roadblock with my first story and no idea how to continue. So, I started writing this one instead and it worked like a charm (heh!). It became my feel-good fic. Sometimes I would even work on it during my coffee break or a few minutes after lunch before I had to go back to work (something I normally never do because it always takes a while for me to "get into the zone" and actually start writing.   
> Long story short, this fic means a lot to me and I hope it will bring you joy as well.

The Arcanum Academy in Seoul was one of the most prestigious institutes of magical arts in the world and it prided itself on accepting only the most talented spellcasters. Jaehyun had dreamed of passing the entrance exam since primary school and last year he’d done it. His excitement about it had faded quickly, though. He had hoped that here, surrounded by so many exceptionally talented spellcasters, he would be able to blend in and make some friends without his family name and the expectations trailing in its wake looming over everything. That hadn’t happened, though.

“Young master, we have arrived”, his chauffeur announced.

He nodded. “Thank you, Mister Yi”, he said quietly, grabbed his backpack and climbed out of the car. Today was the first day after winter break and he had kind of hoped that the novelty of his presence would have worn off by now. But if the glances and hushed conversations that followed him on the way to the lecture hall were anything to go by, no such luck.

By lunchtime, he desperately wished the day would be over already. There were still two more lectures, though. And if he was being honest, he wasn’t keen on going home today either. His parents were hosting a dinner party today and he had the distinct feeling they would announce who they had chosen to be his Paired, the person who would complement and heighten his magic even further, as he would theirs. Jaehyun had long since been rid of any romantic notion regarding the concept of being paired. It was simply about power and status. However, that changed nothing about the fact that this kind of bond was permanent and the thought of tying himself to someone else like that – especially someone he hadn’t even met before – made him break out in hives.

“Excuse me, is this seat still free?”, somebody asked, pulling him out of his own head.

Jaehyun looked up, a little startled. “Sure”, he quickly said and gathered a few of his books and pencils to make space as the other student sat down opposite of him with his lunch tray. Just as Jaehyun was about to return his attention to his books, the other spoke up.

“I’m sorry. May I bother you again?”

There was a slight accent to his words that Jaehyun couldn’t quite place. Slowly and somewhat annoyed he looked up again. And then his eyes caught on the bright, utterly disarming smile of the other man and suddenly he felt breathless and lost for words. In a somewhat desperate attempt to keep up his aloof façade, he nodded, the movement slow and measured. The other’s smile grew even wider and Jaehyun was so utterly charmed that he couldn’t stop the small smile that crept onto his face in response.

“Thank you”, the other student said gratefully and pulled out a campus map. “I have, um” – he pulled out a schedule and studied it intensely for a moment – “Advanced Animancy in Room A27 but I can’t make heads or tails of this map.” The sentence was finished with a frustrated sigh.

Before he could stop himself, Jaehyun offered: “I could take you there. It’s my next course, too.”

“That would be great! Thank you.” Another smile.

Jaehyun simply nodded, once again speechless. He could feel his ears flushing. _Stop that!_ , he chided himself silently. This was nothing but a simple interaction. He shouldn’t read anything more into it.

“I’m Johnny by the way”, the other student said and held out his hand.

“Jaehyun”, he replied and shook it. “Nice to meet you.” Silence fell between them as Johnny turned his attention to eating.

After a while, something occurred to Jaehyun and after trying not to let it bother him for a solid five minutes he caved and asked.

“Don’t you need to take Introduction to Animancy first?”

Johnny nodded between two bites.

“I’m pretty sure I didn’t see you there last semester”, Jaehyun continued.

“Oh” Johnny looked like he had had a sudden realization. “I just transferred here.”

Now Jaehyun was really getting curious. It was rare for anyone to transfer, given the level of skill needed to be accepted.

“Where did you study before”, he asked, leaning forward.

Johnny ducked his head, looking flustered. His reply was quiet and subdued, almost a whisper. “Chicago Community College”

“Must be tough being that far from home”, Jaehyun said with sympathy.

The persistent smile on Johnny’s lips turned sad. “A little”, he admitted.

Jaehyun wanted to cheer him up but was at a loss what to say. He settled for: “I’m sure you’ll make tons of new friends here”

“I hope so”, Johnny said bravely and nodded. Jaehyun was sure he had nothing to worry about in that regard. Who wouldn’t want to spend time with someone as sweet and open as him? Not to mention handsome.

They walked side by side to the lecture hall and Jaehyun was on cloud nine. He realised how much he had missed having someone to talk to who didn’t care about his family name and asked stupid, simple questions like what his favourite food was and what he did in his free time. Johnny clearly had no idea who Jaehyun was or rather who his family was and Jaehyun desperately, hopelessly wished it could stay that way.

“I missed the orientation but they gave me this brochure with all the extracurriculars and they sound so cool”, Johnny said enthusiastically. He was so obviously excited to be here and Jaehyun envied him for it. “But I’m a little worried about the course work.”

“It can be a lot”, Jaehyun admitted. “But there is free tutoring if you’re having a hard time and most professors also offer additional tutorials. And with a few exceptions most extracurriculars won’t bat an eye if you want to join later in the semester.”

“Really?” Johnny looked like a kid on Christmas morning.

Jaehyun nodded.

“That’s a relief. I think I need a week or two to get my bearings. Oh, by the way, do you know a good coffee shop around here? I’m a bit of an addict.” He grinned cheekily.

“Me too”, Jaehyun admitted. “I usually grab something at the Jules Verne. If you have time after this, we can go grab some.”

“Yes, please!”, Johnny said excitedly. “I haven’t had my daily fix yet.”

Jaehyun made an exaggeratedly shocked face. “Well, I can’t let that stand!”, he announced, deciding to show off just a little. “Just give me one second!” He concentrated on picturing his kitchen at home, reaching out with his magic to move one of his thermo mugs over to the coffee machine and controlling it to brew a fresh cup. Once he was done, he screwed on the lid and made it appear in his hands. With a pleased smile he handed it to Johnny.

“Here you go”, he said. “Hope you like it black. If not, I can get you sugar and milk, too.”

“Thank you”, Johnny said, looking a little stunned and definitely impressed. “How did you do that?”

“Visualization combined with telekinesis”, Jaehyun explained proudly.

“Wow. That’s quite advanced.” His eyes had gone wide with awe.

Jaehyun ducked his head. Maybe he had overdone it a little. “It’s really nothing special”, he amended. “I just had a lot of time to practice”

“Still. Some people never even get that far”, Johnny insisted and put a hand onto his shoulder. The touch was warm and steady. Jaehyun felt himself relax, now less tense than he had been all day. “I think that’s amazing”, Johnny said, his tone leaving no doubt that he meant it.

“Thank you” Jaehyun smiled. Of course, he knew he was good. Exceptionally skilled, even, and he didn’t lack people who told him, either. But this was somehow different, though he wouldn’t have been able to explain why.

They arrived at the lecture hall. “Here we are”, Jaehyun said with a bright smile. There already were a few other people around, so he expected Johnny to gravitate towards them with the same natural ease with which he had approached him. To his surprise, Johnny sat down next to him after greeting the other students who had bothered looking up at their arrival with a nod. Fearing he was doing it out of some sort of misplaced obligation, Jaehyun was about to give him a gentle, verbal nudge when Professor Ha entered the room. All conversations immediately ceased, and a few people scrambled to pull out their notepads and textbooks.

“Good morning everyone”, the professor greeted amicably. “It seems everyone’s here, so we can start right away. Most of you already know me from the introductory course, so you are well aware of the few rules I enforce during my lessons. But as we have a new face in our midst, let me briefly reiterate. I expect everyone to be on time and have their textbook with them. Assignments are to be finished with care and handed in on time. I do not accept obviously rushed work nor anything unfinished. Should you have trouble with anything, I invite you to come see me during office hours and I will do my best to help you. No one who works diligently has ever failed my class and I intend to keep it that way.”

Jaehyun leaned over to Johnny and whispered. “He comes off really strict, but he means it when he says he’ll do whatever he can to help you.”

Professor Ha pointedly cleared his throat. “Mister Jeong”

“Sorry, Professor”, he quickly said.

“Sorry, Professor”, Johnny surprisingly chimed in. “I asked him if he could share his textbook with me for today. Mine hasn’t arrived yet.”

Professor Ha hesitated for a moment, then nodded and moved on. “I want to start today with a refresher of the things you should have learned last semester.” At that, he lifted a box onto his table. “Everyone, please come to the front and take a plant and a shielding bracelet. Your task is to use animancy to make the plant grow as tall as you can.”

They all got up. Jaehyun noticed that Johnny looked a little worried.

“Never done this before?”, he asked, falling into step next to him.

“I just know the theory. We didn’t do a lot of practical work.”

“Theory’s half the battle”, Jaehyun encouraged. “I’m sure you’ll do just fine.”

Johnny took a deep breath and nodded. “Thank you”

Back at their table, Johnny slipped on the bracelet that prevented him or anyone else to draw energy from his own life force. The other students did the same, then the professor signalled for them to begin. Jaehyun started out slowly, chanelling the energy from the soil to flow into and fuel the plant’s growth while he watched Johnny out of the corner of his eye.

The other was much more hesitant to start but after a few steadying breaths he put his hands around the plant pot – a good technique that made it easier to focus – and closed his eyes. _Cute_ , Jaehyun thought, a smile tugging at his lips. Casting with one’s eyes closed was something you taught to kids and most spellcasters actively tried to unlearn once they got older, but it wasn’t unusual to see people doing it when they wanted to play at being cute. Johnny was not pretending, though, and that made it all the more endearing.

It took Jaehyun a moment to realise that Johnny’s plant had already grown taller than his. A startled gasp escaped him. The plant grew as if in time lapse. New leaves unfolded as the stems rose higher into the air. Buds formed and erupted into flowers in full bloom in the blink of an eye before withering just as quickly. Other students began to take notice and excited whispers made the rounds. The display was all the more impressive because Johnny showed no signs that this was any effort for him at all. Jaehyun would be breaking a sweat if he tried to keep up with him. The plant reached the ceiling and the growth stopped. Johnny opened his eyes and noticed all the attention he had attracted, his cheeks flushing pink.

“Less staring, more working, ladies and gentlemen”, the professor reminded, and the majority of people quickly returned to their still tiny sprouts.

Jaehyun was the second one to finish the task, his plant reaching the top of the room about two minutes after Johnny.

“And here you were being all nervous”, he teased.

Johnny blushed again. “I just didn’t want to be the worst in class”, he mumbled.

“Pretty sure you don’t need to worry about that”, Jaehyun whispered, grinning.

“Thank god”, Johnny breathed, visibly relieved.

“Hey, um, sorry to interrupt but could you maybe give me a few pointers?” The person asking was Yuta Nakamoto. Jaehyun had never talked to him before but from the few courses they had had together he was a prodigy in his own right. Though animancy clearly wasn’t his forte, judging by his slightly withered plant. Yuta put his plant down on their desk and pulled up a chair, looking expectantly at Johnny who only then seemed to realise that he was the one being asked for help.

“Oh”, he said. “Well, the biggest trouble for me is focus but I think your problem lies more in directing the life force you’re working with.”

“That sounds about right”, Yuta agreed.

Johnny looked thoughtful for a moment, then suggested: “You could try using a visualization. When I learned telekinesis, I always imagined that whatever I wanted to lift had boosters attached and I was turning them on and off.”

“Could work”, Yuta said with a nod. “Thanks” He took his plant and left.

Over the course of the lesson, a few more people dropped by to ask Johnny for pointers who never failed to be surprised. His apparent obliviousness of the skill level he had shown today was quite endearing, Jaehyun thought as he watched him while passing the time by making his plant bloom in random intervals.

* * *

The Café Jules Verne was no typical student hangout but Jaehyun liked its playful interior and the quality coffee they served even if it meant paying a little more. He could more than afford it.

Only as they walked up to the counter to order did it occur to him that Johnny might not have as much spending money as him. Mentally hitting himself for being so inattentive, he offered: “My treat, okay?”

“Are you sure?” Johnny looked like the offer had caught him completely off guard.

“Of course! Choose whatever you like.”

“Thanks” Johnny’s radiant smile made another appearance, a warm feeling blooming in Jaehyun’s chest at the sight.

Johnny ordered an Americano, Jaehyun following suit as it was his regular order anyway. His usual table by the window was still free, so he led Johnny there once they had their drinks.

They had just sat down when Yuta walked in, another student from their course in tow. Jaehyun often saw them hanging out together, though he couldn’t for the life of him remember the other guy’s name. He was about to return his attention to Johnny when Yuta spotted them and walked over.

“Mind if we join you?”, he said.

Jaehyun was about to say that he did mind but Johnny was faster.

“Not at all”, he said and motioned for them to sit down.

Something close to jealousy rose up in Jaehyun’s stomach and it was all he could do not to glare at Yuta and the other student who were now sitting with them. Why had they followed them anyway?

He didn’t have to wait long to get an answer.

“I know this is very out of the blue, but would you maybe be willing to help us with a spell? Mark and I have tried it on our own but even combined we’re not strong enough.” Yuta looked expectantly at Johnny.

“I think he deserves a few more details”, Jaehyun interjected, tone snappy. “Must be something difficult if it needs more than two people to accomplish, which means it’s also potentially really dangerous.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest, a challenging look on his face.

Instead of an answer there was the sound of a chair scraping across the floor as Yuta’s friend abruptly stood up and made to leave. “This was a dumb idea anyway”, he muttered in passing. But Yuta didn’t let him walk off. He gently took his hand and the other stopped.

“Mark, please”, Yuta said quietly. His usually cool and carefree demeanour was gone. “He might be our only chance.”

“I’d really like to help if I can”, Johnny assured, looking at Mark with a warm expression on his face. “But Jae’s right. I need to at least have a rough idea what you need me for.”

Mark looked back and forth between him and Yuta who was still holding his hand for what felt like a solid minute. Then he let out a deep sigh and deflated, slinking back to his chair.

“I’m trying to get rid of an attachment”, Mark said, not looking at any of them. He spoke so quiet that it was almost inaudible.

“Oh”, Johnny said, apparently catching on.

“Oh what?”, Jaehyun blurted out, not getting it.

Yuta looked at him like he doubted his intelligence and shook his head but didn’t bother explaining.

Surprisingly, it was Mark who spoke up. His eyes were still firmly cast downward. “I used to be paired”, he explained. “But then my partner found someone who was … a more natural fit.”

“What?” Jaehyun was stunned. He had expected anything but this, hadn’t even known it was possible. “But aren’t– I thought you were paired for life.”

“Usually, yes”, Yuta continued on his friend’s behalf. “But apparently in rare cases a high enough compatibility with another person can override an existing bond. Thing is, it’s not always a clean cut. If that happens, the person left unbonded may have trouble if they try to get paired again.”

“I did some research and found a spell that will get rid of the remnants of my former bond”, Mark took over again, his voice a little more confident now. “But the two of us can’t get it to work.”

“We need somebody to act as a conduit”, Yuta came to the point.

Jaehyun nearly choked on the sip of coffee he had just taken. Was he serious? Being a conduit was dangerous in the best of circumstances and a ritual they had found gods knew where could hardly be called a best-case-scenario.

At least Johnny had the good sense to look as worried as Jaehyun felt at that declaration.

But then he said: “I want to help.” Jaehyun was about to intervene and talk some sense into him when he added: “But I think we should have at least one more person there. Someone who can stop the whole thing if anything goes wrong.” He looked at Jaehyun, the other two following his gaze.

“Fine”, Jaehyun agreed. “But I want a full run-down. Location, prep, spell components, everything.”

“Gladly”, Mark said, a small, hopeful smile on his face. “If you give me your number, I’ll send everything to you later.”

“We should all exchange numbers”, Yuta said. “Makes it easier to keep everyone in the loop.”

They all pulled out their phones and soon they all had each other’s contact info and a group chat ready to go.

“We should get going”, Mark suddenly said and got up. “Again, sorry for putting you on the spot like that but I’m really grateful you’re willing to help”

“Me too”, Yuta said as he stood up as well. “We’ll be in touch.” And with that, they left.

“Unbelievable”, Jeahyun said once they were out of earshot.

Johnny looked at him with a stricken expression. “I’m sorry for roping you into this.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about”, Jaehyun brushed his comment off. “But do you have any idea how dangerous it is to let yourself be used as a conduit?”

“I’m aware” Johnny said sharply.

“Then you know there are a million ways this could go horribly wrong. Even I couldn’t be sure I’d be able to do it.”

“And clearly you’re the measure of all things”, Johnny shot back coldly. He downed the rest of his coffee and stood up.

“That’s not what I meant!”, Jaehyun tried to save the situation but it was already too late.

“Maybe not” Johnny hovered next to the desk, looking torn. “If you want to keep out of this, I won’t hold it against you”, he said after a long moment of tense silence. “But don’t try to convince me not to go through with it. My mind is made up.” He grabbed his backpack and walked out of the café.

Jaehyun almost ran after him but his pride wouldn’t allow it. Instead, he buried his head in his hands, wishing screaming at the top of one’s lungs in public would be socially acceptable.


	2. Chapter 2

With everything that had happened, Jaehyun had almost completely forgotten about the dinner party. He only remembered it when he came home and walked into his room to find the suit that had been laid out for him. As he looked at it, his mood hit rock bottom. The thought of wasting another evening on meaningless small talk and being paraded around like a prized show dog made him want to vomit. There was no escaping it, though. So, grabbing the suit none too gently, he went to get changed.

The first guests were already trickling into the dining hall when he arrived. As he stepped into the room, his mother immediately intercepted him. She pulled him off to the side and started fussing over him. After smoothing down invisible creases in his jacket and unnecessarily straightening his tie twice she seemed satisfied.

“There”, she said and took a step back to admire her work. “You look stunning, my darling.”

“Thanks” He did his best to sound enthusiastic but didn’t quite manage.

“Is he ready?” His father’s voice was measured as always, betraying not a single emotion.

“Ready for what?”, Jaehyun asked just to watch an expression of slight discomfort pass over his father’s face as he was put on the spot. He already knew what this was about. It had been a long time coming; his parents had begun searching for a match for him since he’d come of age. The fact that he hadn’t been paired long ago was only down to his parent’s ludicrously high standards.

“We have found someone for you”, his mother explained, her eyes shining with tears of joy. At least somebody was truly happy about this, Jaehyun thought.

“I will introduce you and we will officially announce it during dinner”, his father informed him.

“Great”, Jaehyun said, making an effort to sound at least somewhat genuine. He followed his father through the room to a small group that had gathered by the door leading to the garden.

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you to my son, Jaehyun.”

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance”, Jaehyun greeted politely, accepting everyone’s greetings and introductions with similar grace.

The last to reply was a young woman. She was about as tall as Jaehyun and looked stunning in her deep blue dress. Her hair was light brown, almost blonde and tied up in a bun, giving her the air of a ballerina. An impression her stiff, perfect posture only strengthened.

“I’m Alice. Nice to meet you”, she said and actually curtsied.

“Alice spent a few years in America”, his father said, sounding like he was talking to no one in particular, but Jaehyun got the message.

“Me too”, he said, playing at being surprised and delighted.

“Why don’t you take a walk in the garden and share stories”, his father suggested.

“That sounds lovely”, Alice chimed in. Without hesitation, she stepped forward and linked their arms. Jaehyun complied and led them outside.

If he had been worried about keeping up a conversation, he needn’t have bothered. Alice took care of that, bombarding him with methodical questions until he felt like he was being interrogated.

“Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”, he said once he finally managed to get a word in.

“I was top of my class and student council president throughout high school. Once I graduated, I went to Paris and studied at the Académie Nicolas Flamel. I graduated last semester.”

So, she was a few years older than him, Jaehyun thought absently.

She went on unperturbed. “I am fluent in five languages and currently learning two more.” She fixed him with an intense gaze. “And I hope you don’t expect anything from me that goes beyond lending you my strength for challenging spells once we’re paired because I can tell you right now, I’m not interested. If that is a problem for you, I propose we end this right here.”

“Not at all”, Jaehyun assured her and smiled. Despite her blunt delivery, that was the most sympathetic thing she had said so far.

She laughed, then, and relaxed ever so slightly. “I see you’re as thrilled about this as I am”, she said.

“Pretty much”, he admitted. “But knowing we’re on the same page helps.”

She nodded. “A lot of people have the weirdest assumptions about what being paired should entail but I don’t want any of it.”

Jaehyun couldn’t agree more. “Especially when you’re not the one choosing who you’re paired with”, he said.

At that, Alice smiled for the first time.

Before they could continue their conversation, they got called in for dinner where their conversation had to be much less honest. But knowing that their expectations were similarly down-to-earth had cleared the air between them.

There was one last surprise waiting for them, however: Their parents announced that their ceremony would be held this weekend. Jaehyun looked at Alice who, judging by her expression, also had had no idea about this. Then again, they should probably have seen it coming. After all, there was no good reason to delay it.

* * *

Just as Jaehyun was about to go to bed, his phone buzzed with a new text message. It was Mark, writing in their group chat.

Hey Jaehyun, you wanted to see the spell   
etc. so here is everything we got.

It was followed by a few attached pictures and files. Jaehyun opened the first as he laid down and looked at it. It showed the protection circle they were going to use. Given that it had been drawn onto a simple piece of lined paper, Jaehyun guessed that Yuta or Mark had come up with it and after looking it over he had to admit it was quite impressive. A lot of people never used anything beyond the standard protection circles. But the more advanced the spell you cast was, the higher the chance that this wasn’t enough. Your safest bet was to craft a protection circle that directly corresponded to the spell. It was a lot of work and incredibly difficult to get right. Whoever had created this one knew what they were doing, though. On first glance, Jaehyun could see no weak point. Of course, he would have to check the spell they would be using to be sure.

He opened the respective file and read through it attentively. The spell was clearly based on the one used during the bonding ceremony which was already highly advanced magic. Coming up with a counter spell for it was akin to rocket science. And yet this spell looked like it would do exactly that. Jaehyun had to be sure, though. And he couldn’t deny that he was curious now, too. He got up again and snuck through the house and into the library.

After gathering every book on spell structure and counter spells he could find, he went to work. Line by line, he went through the spell Mark had sent him. It was slow work because it often took him a while to even understand the complex structure of the spell and then he still had to check if the logic behind it was actually sound. But the challenge of it was also exciting. Jaehyun got so invested that he completely lost track of time. When he was done, the sky outside was already light. He quickly gathered his notes and put away the books and rushed back to his room. Back in his bed, head under the covers, he answered Mark in the group chat.

Had a look at the spell and the protection   
circle. Both look fine to me.

It’s still risky, but it should work.

To his surprise, Mark replied almost immediately.

That’s good to hear.

And yeah I know it’s risky. That’s   
probably an understatement tbh.

I honestly thought about calling the whole   
thing off all night. But I don’t have any   
other options.

He looked at the last message for a long time. Mark seemed truly desperate and despite all his reservations and doubts, Jaehyun felt for him.

I won’t pretend I’m a fan of this whole   
thing. But I promised I’d help and I’m   
taking that seriously.

The reply came quickly.

Thank you. It really means a lot to me.

* * *

Jaehyun quickly regretted his all-nighter as he struggled to stay awake and take notes all morning. Not even coffee could save him today.

Lunch was a welcome reprieve. At least until he found his usual table occupied by Mark, Yuta and Johnny. He stopped. Should he just go over? It didn’t feel right. Especially not after how he and Johnny had parted yesterday. Besides, they barely even knew each other.

“Hey!”

There was an arm around his shoulder all of a sudden and when he looked over, he found himself eye to eye with Johnny. But how? Was he a teleporter?

“How did you get here?”, Jaehyun said out loud, still trying to make sense of it.

“Were you zoned out so much you didn’t see me walk over?” Johnny was visibly amused. “Did you sleep at all last night?”

Jaehyun shook his head and allowed Johnny to gently push him into the chair next to his.

In reply, Johnny placed a coffee in front of him. Jaehyun recognised the logo of the Café Jules Vernes on the to go cup. Wide-eyed, he looked over at Johnny who smiled and reached over, ruffling his hair.

“You look like you need it more than me”, he said.

Jaehyun’s heart skipped a beat.

“Thank you”, he said, flustered.

“You really didn’t have to stay up all night” Mark looked at him with sympathy.

“I hadn’t planned on it”, Jaehyun admitted. “But once I started analysing the spell I couldn’t stop. It’s so complex and well-crafted.” He quickly stopped himself from gushing about it any further, ducking his head in embarrassment.

“And?”, Yuta asked, leaning forward eagerly. “Is it sound?”

Jaehyun nodded. “Yes. I mean, as far as I can tell.”

“Good.” Yuta grinned. “Then when are we gonna do it?”

“Do we need anything else?”, Johnny asked, sounding almost as excited as Yuta. Jaehyun still felt he wasn’t taking this seriously enough but this time he kept his mouth shut.

“No”, Mark said. “Only a place and a time.”

“We could do it at my place”, Jaehyun offered, surprising himself. “My parents won’t be home Friday evening, so we’d be undisturbed.”

They didn’t have many other options as the other three all lived at the dorms, so they agreed to meet up after their lectures on Friday. Mark and Yuta left shortly after that.

Johnny stayed and after sitting quietly next to him for a while he spoke up: “Hey, um, about yesterday … I wanted to say I’m sorry. You were right to be worried and I had nothing better to do than give you shit for it.”

“It’s fine”, Jaehyun said, not quite sure that was the truth. It still bothered him, but he wasn’t angry at Johnny or anything.

“So, you’re not mad at me?”, Johnny asked quietly.

That, finally, was a question he could answer confidently.

“I’m not. Just … scared. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” He hadn’t quite planned to admit that last one but couldn’t bring himself to care. He didn’t mind Johnny knowing. In fact, he quite liked him knowing. He liked Johnny in general.

Johnny smiled at him, looking incredibly handsome and soft. Jaehyun unconsciously leaned closer, mirroring his expression.

“As long as you’re there, nothing’s going to happen”, Johnny said confidently. “Now drink your coffee before you fall asleep.” He chuckled and carded a hand through Jaehyun’s hair again.

Jaehyun nodded and took a sip. His face twisted into a grimace at the bitter taste.

“What is that?”, he complained loudly.

“Coffee”, Johnny said innocently, adding: “With a lot of espresso shots. It tastes horrible but it will wake you up.”

“But at what cost?”, Jaehyun said. He did take another sip, though. There were still a few more lectures waiting for him.

* * *

On Thursday, Johnny dragged him along to do some shopping. Jaehyun was all too happy to join him. He didn’t particularly like being at home at the moment because his father kept pestering him about making some public appearances with his paired-to-be before the ceremony on the weekend. So far, Jaehyun had always excused himself by saying he was too busy studying and swamped with work. He didn’t feel bad about it either as he was pretty sure Alice had better things to do as well.

“Is there any place you want to go?”, Johnny asked as they entered the mall.

Jaehyun thought about it for a moment. There really was only one place at the mall he went to often. “There’s a record store on the second floor”, he said.

Johnny looked delighted. “Let’s go, then”, he said and grabbed his hand. Jaehyun let out a quiet gasp that was thankfully swallowed by the general background noise of the busy mall.

Since he had admitted to himself that he liked Johnny, it was like a floodgate had been opened. He was hyper-aware of even the most casual touch between them, noticed things about Johnny he had never bothered to pay attention to before – for example, how he had the almost compulsive habit of burying his hands in his pocket or how his face lit up when he saw something cute – and couldn’t stop thinking about him when they were apart. It was the worst crush he had ever had. Made even worse by the fact that he definitely didn’t want Johnny to know. Because they were friends, and he didn’t want to risk that.

At the record store, Jaehyun immediately gravitated towards the vinyl section, scanning the shelves for anything new or interesting. He was so focused that it took him a while to realise that Johnny hadn’t walked off and was still holding his hand. When Jaehyun turned to look at him Johnny was simply watching him, looking utterly content.

Jaehyun felt his ears redden.

“I hope you’re not bored”, he said, suddenly self-conscious.

“I’m good”, Johnny assured. “Anything you can recommend?”

“I mean, that depends what you like to listen to” Jaehyun turned his focus back on the shelves. Looking into Johnny’s eyes for too long made him feel breathless.

“What’s something you like to listen to?” Johnny was grinning. He didn’t even have to look; he read it in the tone of his words.

Jaehyun’s heart beat even faster. His ears had to be tomato red by now, he thought mortified. Nervously, he scanned the displayed records until he spotted one of his favourites. He grabbed it and practically pushed it into Johnny’s hand.

“This one’s pretty good.”

The grin on Johnny’s face widened. “Cigarettes after Sex”, he read aloud, looking straight at Jaehyun. “Are you trying to tell me something?”

Jaehyun wanted the earth to swallow him. All words had abandoned him, so he just stood there and stewed in his mortification.

Johnny nearly doubled over laughing. “You should see your face”, he wheezed.

“Don’t just say stuff like that!”, Jaehyun managed to say, burying his face in his hands.

“Sorry, but I couldn’t resist. You basically handed that one to me, quite literally.”

Jaehyun groaned.

Johnny ended up buying the record, grinning the whole time. When they walked out of the store he took Jaehyun’s hand again.

“Coffee?”, he asked.

“Do you have to ask?”

So, they went to grab coffee. They were about halfway to the coffee shop Jaehyun had in mind when he spotted his father and a few of his business partners. He froze.

“Fuck!” The curse slipped over his lips before he could stop himself.

“What–”

Jaehyun didn’t let Johnny finish his question, instead dragging him off into the direction they’d come from, explaining as they walked.

“My dad’s here and for all he knows I’m busy studying, so I’d really rather he not see me.”

“What does he look like?”, Johnny asked, pulling out his phone. He opened his camera app and held it as if trying to take a selfie.

“About my height. Dark blue suit. Surrounded by his whole damn entourage, of course”, Jaehyun recited mechanically. “Don’t be too obvious.”

“As if some business bigwig’s gonna pay attention to a student taking a selfie”, Johnny said, amused. After a moment, he added: “Oooh, bad news. He’s coming our way.”

Jaehyun tensed. “Do you think he recognised me?”

“No. Doesn’t look like it.” Johnny put away his phone. “We just need him to get to walk past us, right?”

“Yes, but–”

“Do you trust me?”

Jaehyun nodded. Johnny smiled and suddenly pulled him off to the side. There was a little corridor there that was more dimly lit as it led to some locked door only accessible to staff. Johnny put himself in front of him, shielding him from view, and pushed him back until he stood flush against the wall.

“And now we wait”, Johnny said in a low voice that sent pleasant shivers down Jaehyun’s spine. They stood so close. It was all he could focus on and it sent his mind spiraling. He suddenly wondered how it would feel to kiss Johnny right now. All he’d have to do was angle his head a little; that was how close they were.

But then Johnny stepped back.

“They should be long gone”, he said. He looked flushed and giddy, grinning like he’d just successfully pulled a prank. Jaehyun nodded numbly, trying to get a hold of himself again.

They nonetheless decided to cut their shopping trip short.

Back home, Jaehyun immediately rushed to his room and locked the door. He pulled out his phone and called Taeyong. It didn’t take long for the other to pick up.

“Jae?”, he greeted, sounding pleasantly surprised.

“Hey”, Jaehyun greeted awkwardly, painfully aware how long it had been since he’d last called. Him and Taeyong had been close friends as long as he could remember, basically grew up as brothers. They had been inseparable – until Doyoung had come into the picture. Jaehyun had been wildly jealous at first, unable to accept that Taeyong wanted to spend time with somebody else. It had nearly cost him their friendship. Would have, if Doyoung hadn’t intervened.

“It’s so good to hear from you!”, Taeyong said excitedly. “How are you doing?”

“Good. I think.” Jaehyun fumbled for words.

“That doesn’t sound very convincing”, Taeyong said, worry tinging his words. “What’s going on?”

“I made a friend”, Jaehyun said, feeling tears burning in the corners of his eyes. He bravely forced them back, though.

“You say that as if it’s a bad thing.”

“It is!”, Jaehyun almost yelled. “Because I–” He cut himself off with a stray sob. “I love him”

“Oh”, was all Taeyong said at first.

“Don’t just say oh!”, Jaehyun complained. He was pacing.

“Well, do you know–”

“No! I don’t know if he likes men and I don’t want to ask him and risk our friendship, either. He’s the best thing that has happened to me since I started studying. I don’t want to fuck this up” It felt good to tell somebody about it.

“Oh, Jaehyun”, Taeyong sighed. “I’m so sorry.”

Jaehyun screwed his eyes shut, fighting for composure. He sat down on his bed. “What do I do?”, he asked meekly.

“I wish I could tell you.” Taeyong sounded honestly apologetic. “I want to say take a chance and tell him how you feel, but I get why you don’t want to do that. And, logically speaking, you’re probably right.”

“I can hear a but coming.” Despite everything, Jaehyun found himself smiling.

“You know me too well”, Taeyong said. “So, here’s the but: If there is one thing I know, it’s that you can’t always play it safe when it comes to love. Sometimes, you just have to take a leap of faith.”

“I’ll think about it”, Jaehyun promised. “Thank you for listening to me.”

“Of course. Any time.”

“Do you have a bit longer?”

“Sure.”

They talked for another hour, catching each other up on their lives. Taeyong and Doyoung had just moved to a bigger apartment after they had both gotten a promotion at the end of last year. They were doing well. Jaehyun was glad to hear it and promised to visit them once this semester was over.


	3. Chapter 3

And then it was Friday. Jaehyun somehow made it through the day, not paying attention to any of his lectures, and then met up with the others.

Mark was visibly nervous, bouncing up and down and talking too fast. Yuta was quiet, his expression unreadable. However, his tense posture betrayed that he, too, was not unaffected. Johnny seemed the most relaxed of all of them.

“Let’s get this show on the road”, he said with enviable confidence and put an arm around Jaehyun’s shoulder.

“This is the dumbest thing I have ever agreed to”, Jaehyun muttered under his breath as he led Johnny, Yuta and Mark through the garden to the greenhouse where nobody would come looking for them. He’d also put up a silencing spell around the whole building as an additional precaution.

“Enviable”, Yuta said with a smirk.

Jaehyun glared at him.

“Hey, no fighting”, Johnny intervened, physically putting himself between them. “Let’s focus, get this done and then order some pizza. Alright?”

“Yeah. Let’s get it over with.”

They quietly worked together setting everything up. Jaehyun and Mark drew the protection circle while Yuta prepared Johnny to act as conduit. Apparently, he had experience. Jaehyun could nonetheless barely suppress the urge to micromanage everything. He kept sneaking glances at them, worry pooling in the pit of his stomach. On the way he’d made it once again clear that he would stop the spell at the first sign of trouble. But what if he couldn’t do it? Or realised too late that something was off? His nerves were raw.

“Are you alright?”, Mark asked softly, gently putting a hand on his shoulder. Jaehyun still flinched.

“Yes”, he said a little harsher than he had meant to. Quickly reigning his temper in, he added: “It’s just nerves.”

“I’m nervous, too”, Mark said quietly. “I think I haven’t slept more than a few hours all week.” He laughed joylessly. “My mind keeps replaying what happened last time.”

“What did happen last time?”

“I– That’s the thing, I don’t really remember. I know it hurt a lot and that I must have passed out at some point. And when I woke up, it had all been for nothing.”

“That isn’t exactly helping to make me feel better”, Jaehyun said tensely.

Mark bit his lip, looking apologetic. “Sorry”, he said.

“It won’t be like last time”, Yuta said gravely, walking up to them. “We know what went wrong last time. When Mark passed out, the whole spell collapsed. That’s why we need a conduit. Mark will channel his energy into Johnny right at the beginning and then all he has to do is sit tight and we will do the rest.”

“Let’s hope you’re right”, Jaehyun said, drawing the last line of the protection circle.

They were ready.

Jaehyun stepped out of the circle, leaving the others to take their place. Johnny sat right in the centre of the circle, eyes closed, looking like he was meditating which wasn’t all that far off. To act as a conduit, you either had to have impeccable self-control or allow somebody to put you into a magic-induced trance. They had opted for the latter as it was the easier and safer method.

Mark sat down opposite of him and took Johnny’s hands. That gave him a focus point to guide his energy. Yuta took position behind Johnny, hands on his shoulders. The plan was that Mark would channel as much energy as he could afford into Johnny. Then Yuta would come in and start the ritual proper, guiding his, Marks and Johnny’s energy through the spell. It was a solid and safe setup, Jaehyun told himself over and over.

He felt the energy radiating off of the trio. It made a shiver ran down his spine.

Suddenly, Mark slumped down.

Jaehyun surged forward but Yuta looked up and shook his head. Apparently, this was supposed to happen. Reluctantly, he withdrew again.

Yuta began reciting the spell. The energy in the air increased, turning oppressive. Jaehyun couldn’t even imagine how it had to feel inside the circle. He looked at Johnny who had his eyes squeezed shut. Tremors ran through his whole body, his breathing loud and gasping. Yuta threw him another warning glance.

All of a sudden, Mark’s whole body tensed up and then he screamed. The noise was deafening. Painful. Jaehyun screwed his eyes shut, pressing his hands over his ringing ears.

And then, all at once, everything went quiet.

Mark had collapsed, Yuta kneeling by his side. Johnny was coming out of his trance, frantically blinking his eyes, his breathing still too fast.

“Johnny!” Jaehyun ran over to him, taking his face in his hands. “Are you alright?”

Johnny looked at him for a long moment before he slowly tilted forward, falling right into Jaehyun’s arms. Cursing, Jaehyun manoeuvred Johnny so that he was laid out on the ground. Then he rounded on Yuta.

“What the fuck happened?”, he screamed, pulling him up by the collar of his shirt.

“Get your hands off me!” Yuta pushed him off. They stood an arm’s length apart, sizing each other up.

“Did it work?” Mark’s weak voice drew their attention, preventing an actual altercation.

“It worked”, Yuta confirmed, voice shaking. He gathered Mark into his arms and hugged him. In other circumstances, Jaehyun might have been happy for them but all he could think of at the moment was Johnny. Anger sparked inside of him.

“Great! We did it!”, he snapped. “I mean for all we know Johnny’s dying right now but apparently I’m the only one who cares about that.”

Mark abruptly pushed Yuta away, looking over at Johnny who was still out cold. “Fuck!”, he breathed and scrambled over to him, frantically checking his pulse and his breathing. Not that the latter was necessary. Jaehyun could see the hectic rise and fall of his chest even from where he was standing.

“Yuta, come here and help me”, Mark said, taking charge despite the fact that he looked like he might keel over again any moment. Yuta immediately complied.

Jaehyun did the same, despite not having been called. “What’s wrong with him?”, he asked again, feeling useless and miserable.

“I think he somehow retained too much energy. Short-term, during the ritual, it was fine but now…” Mark looked apologetic. And spooked. Neither was something Jaehyun particularly wanted to see at the moment.

“What’s the worst that could happen?”, he forced himself to ask.

“I don’t know”, Mark said in a hushed voice. “I mean it won’t kill him but it’s unrestrained magic, so apart from that all bets are off.”

Jaehyun nodded. He felt numb, scared to the point where it became too much to fathom. He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs until he passed out. But Johnny needed help, so he had to keep himself together.

“We should get him back to the house”, he said, sounding much calmer than he felt.

Nods all around.

Yuta and Jaehyun carried Johnny. Mark trailed behind them, struggling to keep up. He had gone pale and by the time they reached the house there was a sweaty sheen on his forehead.

“You should take him home”, Jaehyun said quietly to Yuta.

“He needs rest”, Yuta said. “But we’re not leaving until we know Johnny’s alright.”

Jaehyun nodded, quietly grateful.

They all ended up in his room. Yuta forced Mark to lay down on the couch. Mark vehemently assured him that it wasn’t necessary and then fell asleep almost immediately. Johnny lay on Jaehyun’s bed. His breathing had finally evened out, but he was still unconscious.

“I can’t just sit around”, Jaehyun announced after about five minutes of awkward silence between him and Yuta. “There has to be something we can do.”

“There isn’t” was Yuta’s simple reply. He half sat on the arm rest of the couch, gently stroking Mark’s hair.

But Jaehyun couldn’t accept that answer. “Can’t I just … I don’t know, take some of the energy?”

“Sure. If you want to end up like him” Yuta glared at him, clearly irritated. “Just sit down and wait it out.”

“Don’t tell me what to do!”, Jaehyun snapped.

Yuta had the gall to sigh. “Take it from someone who knows what they’re talking about, you really don’t want to fuck with wild magic energies like that.” He raised the shirt he was wearing, revealing a large, nasty-looking scar that snaked its way from his left hip upwards across his torso. Jaehyun stared at it, stunned.

“I’m … sorry”, he stammered.

“No need”, Yuta brushed him off. “It was my own damn fault. I don’t want sympathy for it.”

“What happened?” The question was out before he could stop himself.

Yuta’s expression shuttered. “I’d rather not talk about it.”

“That’s fine!”, Jaehyun quickly backed off. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

Yuta was about to say something but was distracted when Mark stirred, a soft whimper falling from his lips.

“Yuta”, he whined, blindly reaching for him.

“Right here”, Yuta said softly, kneeling down in front of the couch.

“I feel awful”, Mark said quietly, a shiver running through him. “I think I’m gonna–”

Jaehyun reacted lightning fast. He grabbed his empty paper bin and shoved it against Mark’s chest just as Yuta managed to get him to sit up. Right on time.

It seemed to take ages until Mark stopped retching and when he did, he looked even worse than before. His skin had lost even more of its colour and he was trembling. Jaehyun felt for him but whenever he attempted to say something all words seemed to leave him. So, they all sat on the couch in awkward, awful silence.

Until Mark spoke up again. “I want to go home”, he said weakly, looking pleadingly at Yuta.

Yuta, in turn, looked at Jaehyun.

“Go”, Jaehyun said and nodded. “I’ll tell Mister Yi to get the car and drive you home.”

“Thank you”, Yuta said earnestly. “Keep me posted, alright?” He nodded in Johnny’s direction.

“You, too.”

When he returned, Johnny’s condition had changed – and not for the better. His previously calm expression was now pained, his breathing ragged again. Jaehyun rushed to his side, hands hovering over him in panicked helplessness. He cursed under his breath, mind racing, and – for a moment – even thought about calling an ambulance. The only thing that made him hesitate was that he didn’t want them to get into trouble. Not that they had done anything forbidden. His gut feeling nonetheless told him there’d be severe consequences.

And then Johnny woke up.

It was like a scene from a movie; the protagonist startled awake from a nightmare. Johnny gasped; eyes wide but unfocused. He tried to sit up, but his arms refused to carry his weight which only seemed to heighten his panic.

“Johnny, calm down”, Jaehyun pleaded, gently pressing him back into the pillows. “You’re safe and you’re going to be fine. I promise. Okay?”

“Hurts”, Johnny gasped, hands clawing at the sheets with enough force that his knuckles went white.

“I’m sorry”, Jaehyun said miserably, tears in his eyes. “I should have never let you do this. I knew how dangerous it was.”

“Not your fault”, Johnny got out, visibly strained by the effort. His hand wrapped around Jaehyun’s wrist, squeezing it encouragingly. All of a sudden, his grip turned bruising as his whole body tensed up for a moment. Johnny groaned.

Jaehyun couldn’t watch it any longer. Couldn’t simply sit idly while Johnny suffered.

“We need to get all this energy out of you”, he said determinedly. “And the easiest way to do this is by using it, right?”

Johnny nodded weakly but made no move to actually do something.

“Can’t think of anything?”, Jaehyun asked and got a nod in confirmation. “I have an idea”, he said, forcing a shaky smile onto his lips. “Do you trust me?”

Something that sounded vaguely like a laugh burst out of Johnny but was cut short by a gasp as another tremor ran through him. Jaehyun knew he had to get a move on.

“We’re going to do something fun”, he quickly said. “I’ll tell you a story and you’re going to visualise it. Alright?”

“Yeah”, Johnny managed to say.

“Okay, um…” Rationally, Jaehyun knew that it absolutely didn’t matter what kind of story he told but he still found himself fumbling to come up with something. His stressed mind refused to cooperate.

Johnny squeezed his hand again, drawing his attention. “Tell me about something that makes you smile”, he said.

“I didn’t have much reason to smile in the past year”, he admitted. “But when I was a kid, I had a good friend who would always make me smile.” Johnny raised his hand and the image of two children appeared in the air. Jaehyun immediately recognized which of the two boys was supposed to be him. Johnny wasn’t all that far off from how he’d actually looked. “We basically grew up as brothers.” Johnny smiled at that, making the image shift so the two boys were play-fighting. “In the summer our parents would send us to his relatives. They had a huge estate in the countryside. I forgot where exactly but there was a lake nearby with a jetty that looked about a hundred years old.” Another shift of the image, now showing the new scenery. “Of course, we weren’t allowed to go near it. Too dangerous. But one night my friend woke me up–” The image disappeared without warning and a second later Johnny bit back a scream as another energy wave coursed through him. He writhed in pain, gasping.

“Focus!”, Jaehyun pleaded. “Come on, I know you can do it!”

Johnny shook his head, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Burns”, he spat out as if the word itself hurt.

Jaehyun waited for the attack to pass but it just kept stretching on. Coaxing Johnny to try to continue remained fruitless, too. His focus was shot and he failed to harness the energy wreaking havoc in his body.

They were running out of options and Jaehyun was beginning to panic.

And then Johnny went still again.

Jaehyun felt his heart stutter and then start to race. Dread pooled in his stomach. His mind blanked. He could hear blood rushing in his ears, drowning out the deafening silence. He couldn’t think anymore, he simply acted.

Propping Johnny up, Jaehyun moved so he was sitting behind him, supporting his weight. He took a deep breath then reached out with his magic, pulling at the raging wild energy that was holding Johnny in its grip.

For a second or two, nothing happened.

Then the energy latched on to him.

It felt like touching a live wire. Boundless energy making way for itself. He tried to channel the onslaught but quickly realized he didn’t stand a chance. It was too much. The energy clawed through him. It hurt. It burned. It blocked out everything but the agony. But Jaehyun persevered. _Just a little longer_ , he kept telling himself. _A little more._

All at once, the pain dissipated.

Jaehyun gasped. A shiver ran through him. He sat up, his breaths ringing in his ears. His eyes darted around the room, not quite focusing on anything. Everything felt strangely distant.

Johnny stirred and Jaehyun’s whole attention zeroed in on the small sounds and movements the other boy made. It felt almost overly vivid. As if he wasn’t just seeing and hearing and feeling it but experiencing it with a new and overwhelming sixth sense.

He realized Johnny had opened his eyes and turned his head to look at him. “Jaehyun?” There was a slight rasp to his voice.

“I’m here.” Even just talking felt like too much effort. Jaehyun was exhausted.

“What happened?”, Johnny asked. He moved to sit next to Jaehyun to look at him without having to crane his neck. _Too far away_ , Jaehyun thought sadly but made no effort to close the distance again. He didn’t want to move.

“How much do you remember?”, Jaehyun asked in turn.

“I remember coming out of trance”, Johnny said, a concentrated look on his face. “And then nothing but disjointed bits and pieces.”

“Maybe for the best.” Jaehyun allowed himself to sink back into the sheets, staring at the ceiling.

“Why?” Johnny appeared in his field of view, looking worried. “Did something go wrong?” His eyes widened. “Are Mark and Yuta okay?”

“They’re fine. You … nearly weren’t” Jaehyun turned his head to the side. He didn’t want to talk about this. Living through it was more than enough. “Can we not do this right now?”

“Do what?” Johnny asked, clearly oblivious.

“This– this dumb question and answer game”, Jaehyun said sharply, regretting it instantly. He carded a hand through his hair. “Sorry. I’m–”

“No need for apologies”, Johnny assured him quietly. “Whatever happened clearly got to you.”

Jaehyun nodded. “You passed out”, he forced himself to say. He felt Johnny had a right to know, so he told him everything.

By the end of it, Johnny looked thoroughly shaken. “Thank you”, he said quietly.

“Thank me by never doing something like that again, alright?” A nervous chuckle broke out of him.

“I’ll try”, Johnny promised, a soft smile on his lips. He laid down next to Jaehyun and as if on cue they both turned towards each other. “I should probably go home”, Johnny mumbled.

“Stay”, Jaehyun whispered. He didn’t expect anything to come of it but – as always – Johnny surprised him.

“Alright”, he said, settling in.

Relief flooded Jaehyun. “Good”, he hummed.

The remaining adrenaline dissipated, and he felt his eyes growing heavy. Johnny, too, looked only moments away from sleep.

“I should turn off the lights”, Jaehyun said reluctantly. He didn’t want to move even an inch, but he also knew he didn’t sleep well with the lights on.

Before he could push himself to get up, Johnny simply waved his hand and all lamps turned off.

“Show-off!”, Jaehyun muttered playfully and then nearly gasped when he felt Johnny’s arm come to rest on his waist.

“Mhm”, was all Johnny said, the smile on his lips audible. He yawned and Jaehyun felt the exhale on his neck.

He had expected that being this close to Johnny would make him nervous or flustered. Instead, it seemed to draw all lingering anxiety out of him. As he drifted off, he felt warm and safe and happy.

* * *

Somebody was knocking on the door very insistently. Jaehyun blinked his eyes open and groaned. “What?”, he yelled at the door.

“Don’t tell me you were still asleep”, his father grumbled, not bothering to open the door. “Hurry and get dressed. Alice’ parents invited us for lunch.”

Jaehyun rolled his eyes. “I’ll be down in a moment”, he said, then pulled the blanket over his head while he listened to his father’s retreating footsteps. He had absolutely no desire to sit through a stiff formal lunch, but he didn’t have a say in the matter. With a deep sigh he kicked off the blanket – and froze.

In the light streaming in through the window, Johnny looked like he had escaped from some invaluable painting. The sleeping youth. His hair was dishevelled in exactly the right way to make him look even more handsome. Something which Jaehyun would have sworn was impossible outside of a photoshooting with a dedicated crew of stylists. His invitingly rose-coloured lips were slightly parted, as if in pleasant surprise.

Once he had recovered from the sight, Jaehyun realzed he had much more pressing concerns. Namely: If his parents saw Johnny, they would definitely ask questions. No, thanks!

He had to get him out of here. Fast.

“Wake up!”, Jaehyun said in a hushed voice, gently shaking him.

“Mmphf” Johnny made a disgruntled face, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. “What time is it?”

“No idea but my dad just knocked and I need to get you out of here without my parents noticing because I am really not in the mood for an interrogation right now”, he replied urgently.

“Wouldn’t want to get you in trouble”, Johnny said with a smirk and got up. His eyes wandered to the doors leading to the balcony. “First floor?”, he asked.

“Yes?” Jaehyun raised an eyebrow. “You’re not thinking about climbing down, do you?”

“Sure”, Johnny said with confidence. “I used to do this back home to sneak out.” Without waiting for a reply, he opened the door and walked out onto the balcony. Jaehyun quickly followed.

“You’re absolutely mad!”, he said. The words lost all bite because he was grinning so much.

Johnny climbed over the railing and turned to look at him. “You know, I think that’s why you like me”, he teased.

“Maybe”, Jaehyun replied, nodding. “Now go! I see you on Monday!”

“I’ll hold you to that” Johnny laughed and began climbing down. Jaehyun watched until he reached solid ground, waving one last goodbye before setting off through the garden towards the front gate. Then he returned inside to get dressed.

* * *

He somehow got through lunch and then killed the last few hours before the ceremony by playing games on his phone. His mother had just called for him when he got a message. It was from Yuta.

Sorry for the radio silence. Mark had a  
rough night but he’s fine.

Thank you for your help. I mean it!

Jaehyun smiled, typing out a reply as he went downstairs.

Glad it worked. Johnny has recovered, too.

His parents had rented the ball room of the Pantheon Hotel for the ceremony and invited everyone who was anyone which had, of course, brought the press to the scene. Multiple news teams were waiting in front of the hotel and even more photographers. Jaehyun was no stranger to being in the public eye but this went above and beyond what he was used to. As soon as the reporters spotted him, they rushed up to him, shouting over each other and waving their microphones in front of his face. He couldn’t even make out individual questions, so he stuck to staving them off, promising them an interview at a later date should the time allow it.

Inside, the festivities had already started. There was food and drinks and music and even a few people his age who he actually liked to hang out with which was nice. Alice floated over to him, looking cheerful. She was wearing another stunning evening gown that made her look like royalty. They mostly stayed together as they made their way through the room, greeting guests and receiving well-wishes.

The ceremony was scheduled after dinner and as the moment drew near Jaehyun found himself getting nervous after all. Especially once the clerk who would perform the bonding ritual arrived.

Alice seemed to sense it and looked over, smiling comfortingly. She took his hand and squeezed it right as they were called to come to the front of the room. They walked up hand in hand.

Jaehyun anxiously watched as the clerk bound their hands with a soft, red strip of fabric. This wasn’t technically necessary, but it made for some nice symbolism. The clerk paused meaningfully before addressing the room, delivering a genuinely nice speech about commitment, and supporting each other. And then he began weaving the spell.

Something like heat bloomed in Jaehyun’s chest. He didn’t think anything of it until it became more and more uncomfortable. Still, he didn’t speak up. After all, everyone else had survived it. Smile through it, he told himself.

That quickly became a challenge.

As the magic coursed through him, he felt the burning sensation spread through his whole body with it. It was like liquid lava coursed through him. All he could do was stop himself from crying out. His whole body grew tense with the effort.

Then there was something like a push. Jaehyun gasped and instinctively tried to steady himself.

Instead, his legs gave out.

Screams erupted all around him, but they were strangely muffled. In contrast, his own breathing was unnaturally loud to his own ears. Darkness quickly encroached on his vision. Everything faded out.

* * *

When Jaehyun woke up he found himself in a hospital bed and he definitely felt like that was exactly where he belonged. His whole body ached and there was a bone-deep exhaustion that already threatened to force him back to sleep. He refused to give in, though. With a groan he sat up and looked for the button to call a nurse.

Before he could find it, the door opened, and his father waltzed into the room with a grim expression. Trailing behind him were two nurses, both telling him that he really couldn’t just come and go as he pleased. However, there was no real resolve in their words. Jaehyun didn’t fault them for it in the least.

His father saw that he was awake, and his expression darkened even more.

Jaehyun gulped, all at once feeling like a child again. A child who had been caught misbehaving. But he hadn’t done anything wrong this time.

“Dad”

“How dare you!”, his father interrupted him, his voice dangerously composed.

Jaehyun was reeling. “I really don’t know what you mean”, he implored. “I don’t even know what happened!”

He didn’t see the slap coming, felt the pain of it before he even realized what had happened. His eyes widened in shock and he stilled. No matter how angry he was, his father had never hit him.

“How dare you have the gall to lie to me”, his father yelled. “Who is it, huh?”

“What? Who is who?” Jaehyun felt cornered, confused and scared. He had no idea what was happening, what had made his father angry enough to completely lose his temper. In public, too.

“Your Paired!”

“Alice?”

His father raised his hand again but stopped himself. “Do not play dumb with me!”, he snapped. “You know damn well I’m not talking about Alice. I’m talking about whoever you deemed important enough to get paired with in secret.”

Frantically, Jaehyun shook his head. “No! I didn’t–”

“You did!”, his father vehemently cut him off. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be here.” He shook his head. “What happens when you try to use the same spell twice, huh?”

“There’s a recoil effect”, Jaehyun answered mechanically.

“Exactly”, his father said gravely. “So don’t lie and say it’s not so. It’s insulting to both mine and your intelligence.”

“But, Dad, I really don’t know how that would have happened. Please, believe me!” Jaehyun was getting desperate.

His father sighed, shaking his head. “This conversation is getting us nowhere”, he announced. “Rest for now.” And with that, he left.

One of the nurses followed, the other stayed and looked at him with sympathy.

“Anything I can do for you?”, she asked.

Jaehyun shook his head. He just wanted to be left alone.

“Alright. But feel free to call anytime, okay?”

Another nod.

Once he was alone again, Jaehyun frantically tried to piece everything together. His mind kept obsessing over one fact: He was paired. And not with Alice but somebody else. How? A pair bond didn’t just happen.

And then realization hit him.

It must have been the wild magic he’d drawn out of Johnny. Somehow it had paired them. It was the only explanation he could think of.

His heart sank.

What would Johnny think when he found out? The question sent his mind into overdrive, inventing horror scenarios. Would Johnny hate being tied to him without having a say in the matter? Would he hate him? His heart ached at the mere thought. He tried to tell himself that Johnny would realize he had had no choice either but it didn’t work. And even if he believed it, his traitorous mind supplied, that still didn’t mean he wanted to be tied to you. Jaehyun bit back tears. He was not going to cry, he told himself stubbornly. And he didn’t. But his mind wouldn’t calm down. He had set the carousel in motion and now couldn’t get off the wild ride again. The hours ticked by as he tossed and turned, sleep eluding him despite the fact that he was basically running on fumes.

On Sunday morning Mister Yi came to take him home. The doctor did a final check-up and told Jaehyun in no uncertain terms that he was to stay in bed for at least a week to assure his quick recovery. Apparently, the recoil had drained his magical reserves completely which went a long way to explain the state he was in. He nodded along, too tired to argue or even talk unless absolutely necessary.

The drive back home was quiet, the house empty when he arrived. Mister Yi helped him to his room and, somewhat awkwardly, asked if there was anything else he needed. No doubt he knew or had at least guessed that Jaehyun and his parents weren’t on speaking terms right now.

“I’m fine. Thank you”, Jaehyun said and dismissed him with a grateful nod. Then he crawled into bed and finally fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

All weekend, Johnny had been giddy to the point of impatience. He couldn’t wait to see Jaehyun again. His mind kept coming back to the scene on the balcony. He’d thought about kissing him, then, but chickened out at the last minute.

But not again.

On his way back to his dorm room, he had decided to go all in and make a pass at Jaehyun. Because if he didn’t he would regret it for the rest of his life. There was something about the way Jaehyun always seemed so charmed by Johnny’s attention that was utterly addicting. And Johnny had been a goner since he’d first seen Jaehyun smile, shy and bashful and with his head down as if to hide it.

Johnny walked into room A27 with a spring in his step and two cups of coffee in hand. He looked around but Jaehyun wasn’t there. Strange. There were barely five minutes left before the course began and Jaehyun didn’t seem like the type to arrive this late.

“Have you seen Jaehyun?”, he asked, walking up to Yuta and Mark.

“Nope”, Yuta said. “But this is the only course we have together, so…” He trailed off and shrugged.

“I have Introduction to Cursebreaking with him”, Mark said, “but he wasn’t there today.” His expression turned worried. “I thought you would know something. Do you think he’s alright?”

“Well, I’m gonna find out”, Johnny said with certainty. “Here”, he said and set down the coffee in front of them. “Cover for me.” And with that he was off.

* * *

Johnny went directly to Jaehyun’s home, deciding it was the best place to start. And he got lucky. As he approached he spotted Mister Yi washing the car close to the entrance gate. He called out to him and the chauffeur looked up.

“Ah, you’re the young master’s friend”, he said and greeted him with a nod. Leaving the rag he’d used to clean the windshield on the hood of the car, he walked closer to the fence. “What brings you?”

“Jaehyun wasn’t at university today. I thought he might want to copy my notes.”

The chauffeur looked away awkwardly. “I’m sorry. The young master cannot see anyone right now.”

A flutter of panic reared its head. “Is he alright?”, Johnny asked urgently, stepping as close to the fence as possible.

“He’s not feeling well but it’s nothing some rest can’t fix.” The chauffeur looked at him with sympathy. It was meant well but all it did was fuel Johnny’s stubbornness.

“Thank you”, he said with a bright smile and took a step back, playing at being placated. Then he turned around and walked out of sight. As soon as he was sure he was far enough away he walked along the wall of the estate until he saw the roof of the greenhouse. There, he stopped. He looked left, then right and then quickly scaled the wall.

With large strides he crossed the lawn until he stood below Jaehyun’s balcony.

No one seemed close-by, so he took a chance and whistled. No response.

With a sigh, he picked up a few small pebbles and threw them against the pane of the glass door, one after the other. Still nothing.

Johnny sighed. He really didn’t want to stand around here any longer and risk anyone catching him. Technically, he was breaking and entering, and he really didn’t need that kind of trouble. But giving up was out of the question, too. So, he scaled the villa’s outer wall until he stood on top of the balcony. Luck was on his side again: the door was only ajar. He slipped inside.

Jaehyun’s room was dark – most blinds were drawn – and quiet but the bed was definitely occupied.

“Jae?”, Johnny quietly called out.

There was some movement and a low, indistinct sound from the mountain of blankets. That was it, though.

Johnny couldn’t help but chuckle. _Cute_ , he thought, and tried again. Louder this time. “Jae! Get your ass out of bed before anyone sees me.”

Jaehyun sat up so abruptly that it almost looked like he had been pushed upright. Even on first glance, it was clear that he wasn’t well. He was pale yet his cheeks were flushed and there were deep bags under his eyes. 

“Johnny?”, he asked, in utter disbelief.

Suddenly awkward, Johnny raised his hand. “Present”, he said sheepishly.

“What are you doing here?” A strange expression passed over Jaehyun’s face, gone before Johnny could decipher it.

“You didn’t show up today.” Having to explain his reasoning out loud made him even more self-conscious. Had he overreacted? “I was worried”, he admitted.

“I’m fine”, Jaehyun said mechanically. Johnny didn’t buy it for a second.

“Dude, not even a blind man would believe that”, he said, trying for levity.

“I’m just … a bit under the weather.” Jaehyun got up but kept a blanket wrapped around himself. He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “But thanks for checking up on me. I really appreciate it.”

“Okay, now I’m really worried”, Johnny said honestly. He stepped forward and put a hand on the other’s shoulder.

Jaehyun’s eyes widened. And then Johnny felt it, too. A connection; strong and natural and brimming with magic.

“Oh”, he breathed, equal parts stunned and enraptured.

“I’m sorry!”, Jaehyun said hastily. He sounded tense, scared even.

“What?” Johnny felt like he had missed something. “Why would you be sorry?”

Jaehyun lowered his gaze and stepped back, severing their connection. Johnny instantly missed it.

“I’m sorry”, Jaehyun said once more, “because I did this. I think. But I wasn’t doing it on purpose, I promise, but you were in so much pain and then you lost consciousness again and I didn’t know what else to do.” He was talking faster and faster and still didn’t dare to look at him.

Johnny closed the distance between them and gently cradled Jaehyun’s face in his hands, tilting it upward.

“Hey”, he said softly. “You have absolutely nothing to apologize or be sorry for. Alright?”

Jaehyun stared at him, wide-eyed, then ever so slightly shook his head. “But we’re paired–” He broke off, a tremor running through him. After a shaky breath, he continued, talking even more hurriedly now: “We’re paired because I just had to mess around with wild magic and I’m so sorry I took that choice from you.”

“Jae”

“I get that you’re angry. If I could do anything to undo it, I would–”

“Jaehyun!” Johnny took him by the shoulder and shook him just a little. “I’m not angry.”

“What?” Jaehyun stilled.

“I’m not angry”, Johnny repeated. “Surprised, yeah, but not at all in a bad way. Because, well, I was gonna ask you about that anyway. About us, I mean.”

Jaehyun’s eyes managed to widen even more. He opened and closed his mouth multiple times but didn’t say anything.

“Jaehyun, I like you. Like, really like you.”

The other kept staring at him, still speechless.

Johnny felt himself blush. “The kissing kind of like”, he admitted quietly, his gaze drifting to the floor.

Jaehyun took a deep breath. “Johnny, if you’re just saying this to make me feel better, I swear–”

“I’m not!”, Johnny assured, looking up again. “And this wasn’t at all how I thought this would go down.” He laughed nervously. “But I couldn’t just stand there and watch you putting yourself down.”

“So, you really don’t mind?” Jaehyun still sounded uncertain, cautious.

“I really don’t. I mean I was gonna wine and dine you first before proposing becoming paired, but I appreciate your forwardness.” He grinned cheekily.

Jaehyun laughed, seemingly despite himself and playfully punched his shoulder. And then his mirth turned into sobs that shook his whole body. Johnny gathered him into his arms and simply held him, waited patiently until the tears stopped.

“Are you going to tell me what happened now?”, he asked, still hugging him. “Or are you really just sick?”

“No”, Jaehyun admitted. “I was supposed to become paired this weekend”, he began. “Which of course didn’t work. The magic recoiled and drained me completely. I passed out and woke up in the hospital. That’s how I found out what had happened. And how my parents found out.”

“Oh”, Johnny said unhelpfully. And then: “Fuck.”

“Fuck indeed”, Jaehyun said darkly, crowding closer against him. “My dad confronted me about it right after I woke up. I’ve never seen him that furious. He kept asking who my paired was but that was before I’d figured it all out, so I kept saying I didn’t know. He hasn’t talked to me since. Neither has my mom.”

“I’m so sorry”, Johnny said, hugging him tighter.

“It’s not your fault”, Jaehyun said quietly.

“It’s not yours either.”

“It kind of is but I think I can live with that”, Jaehyun said. He took a step back and looked solemnly at Johnny. “Because I love you, too.” He smiled, a genuine smile this time. “You know, I never bought into any of the romantic nonsense about being paired and I’m not quite sure I’ve changed my mind just yet. But as it turns out I’m definitely one of those greedy people who want to have their cake and eat it too.”

Johnny felt his heartbeat quicken. “I certainly won’t stop you”, he said breathlessly.

That made Jaehyun laugh.

“Can I be greedy, too?”, Johnny asked, saying it quickly just in case his bravado was about to leave him. “Can I kiss you?”

Jaehyun flushed a deep, beautiful shade of crimson and ducked his head shyly. “I’d love that.”

Not even his first kiss had made him this nervous, Johnny thought absently as he wrapped an arm around Jaehyun’s waist and pulled him close again. With the other he tilted his head upwards. And then they were kissing, and it was simply, wonderfully indescribable. Jaehyun’s lips were just as soft and lovely as he had imagined. Enough to distract him to the point that he only noticed Jaehyun had been slowly manoeuvring him towards the bed when his legs bumped into it. He lost his balance, falling into it gracelessly. Jaehyun laid down next to him.

“Stay”, he said quietly.

“I’d love nothing more”, Johnny said and kicked off his shoes. He snuggled up to Jaehyun, pulling the blanket around both of them. Part of him was aware that this wasn’t the end of this whole thing. They still had to tell Jaehyun’s parents. And his own parents, though he was less worried about that. Right now, however, the world outside the room seemed distant and all their worries with it. Right now, it was enough to just lie here together, holding each other.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi to me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/SunnyEarlgrey)!


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